2009 Sweepstakes Aimed at Pilots, Non-pilots Alike

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is heading in a completely different direction with its 2009 Let's Go Flying! Sweepstakes.

For the past 18 years, the AOPA Sweepstakes has showcased what you can do to an airplane, as the Association bought and completely refurbished a used aircraft before awarding the end result to the sweepstakes grand prize winner. For 2009, AOPA will showcase what you can do with an airplane.

"Thanks to the generosity of AOPA member Lloyd Huck, who graciously donated a nearly new Cirrus SR22, AOPA will be able to take our Let's Go Flying! initiative on the road and actually demonstrate both the fun and the usefulness of general aviation," said Thomas B. Haines, editor-in-chief of AOPA Pilot magazine, who oversees the annual sweepstakes. "We will take the Sweepstakes plane out on trips across the United States in 2009, showing the wide variety of things you can do with a pilot certificate and the utility provided by a general aviation airplane.

"Then, of course, when it's all said and done, we'll award this pristine 2005 SR22 (file photo below) to one lucky winner in early 2010."

The technologically advanced, composite, glass-cockpit airplane can cover more than 1,000 nautical miles at a stretch, reach true speeds of more than 180 knots, and an altitude of 17,500 feet. Like every Cirrus, it's got an airframe parachute, and this one also carries a built-in TKS anti-icing system for an extra level of safety. Its deluxe leather interior makes riding in the Let's Go Flying! SR22 feel like a luxury sports car.

The Let's Go Flying! Sweepstakes grand prize will sport a number of different looks throughout the year courtesy of Air Graphics LLC, the Madison, Wis., firm that will design and install a series of eye-catching, exterior schemes during the year.
 

This year's sweepstakes has been made possible in large part by the generosity of Lloyd Huck, a philanthropist and long-time member of AOPA, as well as a member of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Board of Visitors. Mr. Huck served as a flight instructor and Army Air Corps B-29 bomber pilot during World War II.

The 2009 AOPA Let's Go Flying! Sweepstakes is open to everyone, not just pilots. Anyone who joins or renews membership in AOPA during 2009 is automatically entered. Complete rules, eligibility requirements, and alternate methods of entry are available online.

"We are really excited about this new direction for the Sweepstakes," said Haines. "It will allow us for the first time to reach out beyond the pilot community and get non-pilots excited about flying as well."

FMI: www.aopa.org/sweeps/officialrules.html, www.aopa.org